1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to building construction, and more particularly to a window facade for use on garage doors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many homeowners wish to remodel the exterior of their homes, but prefer to do so without spending large sums of money. One of the most visible structures in many homes is the garage door because it is often placed in the front of the home. One very popular form of garage door remodeling includes the installation of small, decorative windows. These windows break the monotony of a large garage door and make it look more like the rest of the house.
Under current technology, a homeowner desiring to upgrade a garage door has but two choices: to purchase a new garage door of the type having factory-installed windows, or to retrofit windows into the existing garage door. The former option is the most expensive solution to the problem, and in most cases results in wasting an otherwise good garage door.
Many garage doors are constructed of a plurality of horizontal panels hinged together whereby the door may be rolled up and down a set of laterally spaced apart, parallel tracks. Windows can be installed within one or more panels by cutting apertures within the panel and installing a decorative overlay assembly such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,588 to Martin et al. ('588 patent) which is incorporated herein by reference. The '588 patent describes a decorative window system for an opening in a garage door wherein a decorative overlay and a windowpane are mounted directly over an opening in a garage door using an anchor mechanism.
However, many homeowners are hesitant to cut openings in their garage doors, especially if they desire the aesthetic effect of a window but have no utilitarian need for windows in their garage door.
Moreover, many garage doors provide insulating capabilities and cutting through a panel may compromise its insulating properties.
Accordingly, many homeowners wish to provide a more pleasing aesthetic appearance to their garage door without incurring significant expense and without sacrificing the structural integrity of their existing garage door.
One method for creating the appearance of garage door windows is to paint an array of dark-colored shapes on the door to create the desired illusion. However, homeowners may not wish to undergo the chores of handling paints, brushes and the associated cleaning. Furthermore, painting an array of consistent looking windows requires great skill and labor. More importantly, since paint provides a two-dimensional surface, the illusion is poor and does not give the appearance of real windows.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for an inexpensive garage door window facade that is easily constructed and installed.
There is a further need in the art for a garage door window facade that provides the illusion of real windows.
There is a further need in the art for a garage door window facade that is resistant to the elements of weather and retains its appearance over time.
However, in view of the prior art in at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.